Transforming Lives

Speeches Shim

Every day, all over the world, USAID brings peace to those who endure violence, health to those who struggle with sickness, and prosperity to those who live in poverty. It is these individuals — these uncounted thousands of lives — that are the true measure of USAID’s successes and the true face of USAID's programs.

Over the past few years, a small, independent media outlet has been—bit-by-bit and story-by-story—pulling back the curtain that has hidden corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since the war in the 1990s.

“Running is a great activity, which is why many girls are interested in doing it. Unfortunately, due to socially constructed gender norms imposed on Afghan females, there are not many opportunities to explore different sports,” says Nargis Sharifi, the team facilitator of the Peace Runners.

Soraya learned to knit from her mother at age 13. However, marriage kept her too busy to take up her childhood hobby. The death of her husband, however, changed her calculation. Facing the need to support her six children, what once was an enjoyable digression became a marketable skill.

Controlling highly contagious diseases in livestock is a significant challenge in maintaining a healthy herd and improving the production of animals. In Afghanistan, livestock are a significant part of the economy and livestock owners are often among the poorest people and make up some of the least food secure households in the country.

You might not see how energy efficiency has an effect on you, your life or business, but you will feel it. You will feel it because saving energy is one of the few things that can save you money, improve the economy, protect the environment, strengthen energy security, and enhance the overall quality of life.

Women in Lowoma village, a remote chiefdom in Kenema district, eastern Sierra Leone, are among the poorest in the country. Their most important means of generating family and community income include petty trading and peasant farming.

In the south of Mali, members of the Fanidiama village community gather under a large tree to learn about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.

As the morning sun rays hit the Subukia village in Kenya’s Nakuru County, hundreds rise and leave their homes for daily labor. Living among them is Elizabeth Wangombe Wangui, a 47-year-old dairy farmer.

Muna*, a 31-year-old mother of eight, has seen her farm in Somalia grow, even as the country suffers from a severe drought and risk of famine. Muna also cares for her elderly mother and ill nephew, and is expecting this season’s harvest to be large enough to feed her family for up to six months with sorghum and beans left over to sell at market.

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